Nitecore Intellicharger i4 Charger Review

Best thing about this charger is that it can charge up to 4 batteries at the same time.

Build Quality85%

Value80%

Functionality85%

Compatibility Range85%

Our Rating85%

Nitecore Intellicharger i4 Charger Review

Nitecore has released several chargers in this series, and we’ve already had the pleasure of looking at a few of them. But this is the first time we’ve had a chance to look at the i4, so naturally we were excited to get our hands on it!

One thing about vaping that a lot of people don’t realize at first is that charging batteries can sometimes be a problem. At first, you might not realize it – but after you’ve accumulated several different types of batteries for different devices, you’ll begin to see that it’s not necessarily realistic to have a charger for each battery.

Chargers that are more ‘universal’ are super-helpful, because they can save space, time, and money… and that is exactly what we loved about the i4.

But does it do the job well? Here’s what we found out whilst doing our review.

About the charger

The i4 Intellicharger is technically a ‘smart charger’ that automatically adjusts the current and voltage to fit the batteries that it detects in the bays. It has 4 different charging bays, and each one charges independently – so if one battery gets done charging first, that bay will shut down but still allow the others to function.

The box that the charger came in was pretty nice. We recently reviewed the i1, and the packaging was very similar – though this device is much larger and comes with 4 bays instead of 1.

There are AC and DC inputs on this device, so you could use it in your car on the 12v output – though you’ll have to buy a DC cord to use with it, because it doesn’t come with one.

[print_responsive_slider_plus_lightbox id=”40″]

It’s a bit bulky and chunky, to be honest – but it’s also larger because it holds 4 batteries instead of just 1. If you’re looking for a device to charge just one battery now and then, this charger will certainly be overkill – but if you need to charge a few batteries at the same time on a daily or semi-regular basis, then this charger should definitely have you covered.

Note: Never put regular batteries in a charger like this. Only rechargeable batteries should be placed in a charger, as they are specifically designed to be recharged after they’re used. Regular batteries are not designed this way, so do not place regular batteries of any type into any kind of charger!

Build Quality

The build quality on this device was pretty solid. It’s made of flame-retardant materials, and heavy-duty enough that it certainly seems like it would survive the rigors of daily use. You probably wouldn’t want to drop it from the top of a ladder – but really, for the most part, you can probably expect the i4 to last a long time with some care and respect.

Compatibility

The fact that this charger is so compatible with so many different types of batteries is great. You can find a thorough breakdown of all of the battery types that will fit into this charger in the specs section of this review, and should be pleased to find that the list is quite extensive! You can even fit C batteries into the i4!

What did we think of this charger?

Honestly, we really liked it. It did have a few downsides in comparison to the i1, but it also had some serious upsides. It can charge up to 4 different batteries, and they can all be put on and removed at-will because each bay is powered independently.

The LEDs look great, and make the charge level easy to understand. The instructions also did a good job of explaining the limitations of the device – so as far as ease-of-use is concerned, it doesn’t get much less complicated.

Really, we didn’t have much of a problem with it. Aside from a few small downsides, the Nitecore i4 Intellicharger seems to be an incredible piece of equipment. If you need a charger that you can use for various different types of E-cig or flashlight batteries, then this should certainly be an item on your shopping list!

Functionality

Functionality-wise, this is a very clean-cut charger. You can charge a wide array of different types of batteries with it, and using it is as simple as plugging it in (for the most part, anyway).

Additional Features

One feature that we were pretty impressed with was the little 6-second charge startup that happens when you first plug a battery into the charger. This is basically a test period that allows the device to determine what type of battery is installed. After this small ‘test’, the charger kicks in full-force and doesn’t stop until the battery is fully recharged.

With the way this charger works, you’ll recharge batteries faster if you only have one or two plugged in at a time. If you use all 4 bays at the same time, you’ll still charge at a decent rate – but it’ll be a bit slower because of how the charger allocates power and current.

The i4 comes equipped with 3 different charge modes: Constant charge current mode, constant charge voltage mode, and trickle-charge mode. Of course, the charger will use the correct mode when it detects the type of battery installed in the charging bay.

Highlights

The best thing about this charger is that it can charge up to 4 batteries at the same time. It’s also capable of charging a wide variety of different types of batteries – which is very nice. If you have several vapourizers and find yourself needing a bunch of different chargers, then the i4 might save you time, space, and frustration by fulfilling all of your charging needs at the same time.

Drawbacks

This charger won’t necessarily always be able to detect everything about the batteries being charged. For example – at any given time, the charger is pumping 750mA into the bays. So, if you’re going to be charging AAs or AAAs, for example, you’ll always need to charge 2 or more at a time, because this will ensure that the 750mAs are spread between them. If you only charge one, it will get the full force of the 750mA charge – which wouldn’t be a good thing.

This is all detailed in the instructions – but it is a detail that you need to be aware of before using the charger.

Another downside is that it’s a bit bulky. Obviously, it needed to be large enough for 4 batteries – but still, as a battery charger, it’s pretty large.

It also doesn’t have a USB output (like the i1 did). This isn’t always such a big deal – but we did find the USB output handy, and certainly missed it on this model.

One more possible downside to this charger (when compared to the i1, anyway) is that the i1 was capable of generating 1000mA, while this charger will deliver a max of 750mA spread across all four bays.

Conclusion

Information! If you need a charger for a single vape pen and don’t foresee needing to charge more than one battery at a time, then you’ll definitely get more for your money with the i1. The i1 has a USB charging port as well, and even comes with an eGo slot for threaded batteries!

But, with that being said, this charger is certainly superior if you need to charge more than one battery at a time – especially if you need quite a few different types of batteries for different devices, and desire a universal charger that can handle almost any type of cylindrical battery.

Reviews from Amazon

Where to buy

You can buy this charger almost anywhere that batteries are sold. To be quite honest, Vapour.co.uk might be your best bet – but you can probably pick one up on your favorite vaping website as well.

About The Author

NicoleIt's my passion to do the research about familiar to me topics, especially when it comes to electronic cigarettes and the whole vaping industry as such. I hope you will find my content useful and when / if you do - please do share it! I will appreciate it! :) See our ''Who We Are'' page to find out more about me and my colleagues. Thanks and I look forward to your comments and feedback.